SELF PORTRAIT

Dennis Kuo

DATE AND PLACE OF BIRTH: March 9, 1972, Brooklyn, N.Y.

FAMILY: wife Kathrine Forster Kuo and daughters Rebecca, 16, and Amanda, 11

IF I WASN’T A PEDIATRICIAN, I WOULD BE an urban planner or a pianist.

IN MY LINE OF WORK IT HELPS THAT I am really stubborn.

MY WORST QUALITY IS I have a hard time saying no. That’s something I’ve had to work on over the years.

IF I COULD LEARN ANOTHER LANGUAGE IT WOULD BE Chinese, so I could get to know my parents better. English is my mother’s third language, my father, probably his fifth.

HAVING PERFECT PITCH MEANS I can have trouble singing a cappella with a group.

MY FANTASY DUET PARTNER WOULD BE Murray Perahia, my favorite pianist when I was growing up.

MY CELLPHONE TEXT ALERT IS the classic “horn” alert that comes on the iPhone. I’ve used it for years. I definitely know that text is for me.

OUR HOUSE was built in 1938, and it’s the youngest house on the street.

TELEVISION? We got one recently, but we don’t have cable or satellite. It’s just hooked up to a computer, and we watch movies on it occasionally.

I WISH I HAD MORE TIME TO play the piano, perform more, play more chamber music, create more beauty with music.

ONE WORD TO SUM ME UP: Determined